Tick ... Tick ... Tick ...

Update: Shuttle Bus Study

Wondering what happened at the shuttle bus meeting a couple weeks ago? We weren't able to attend, and so asked for minutes/ impressions from readers. Here's one person's take on the meeting:

The goal of our Upper Noe Neighbors meeting on April 23rd was to inform our members that the San Francisco Transportation Authority is in the process of a four-month study on the use of shuttle buses in San Francisco. After this study is complete, it will be presented before the Board of Supervisors and other government figures. Part of the study involves collecting input from various neighborhood groups.

Our meeting was particularly productive in that it attracted a variety of opinions & individuals. There were the shuttle-using tech workers, who rely on such transportation to get to and from their jobs outside San Francisco. There were also the residents who feel they are impacted negatively by the buses and their related noise and overwhelming presence.

However, the bottom line was that everyone agreed that an environmental impact report should ultimately be performed on the shuttle bus use. As more and more companies offer this shuttle service to their employees as a benefit, the buses will most likely proliferate over time. What is truly their environmental impact? The buses cut down on car use, but are they hazardous to the roads, and do they emit environmentally unfriendly emissions?

We will be staying in touch with Margaret Cortes, who is heading up the study. Will keep everyone posted on next steps.

Eileen
Board Member, Upper Noe Neighbors

Thanks, Eileen!

[NVSF: Shuttle Buses: Useful or Menace?]

This Week At The Planning Commission

A weekly look at Noe Valley projects in front of the Planning Commission. Information is provided by the Planning Commission, and taken from its published agenda. All hearings begin at 1:30pm, Room 400 in City Hall.

1629 DOLORES STREET - east side between 29th and Day Streets, Lot 015 in Assessor’s Block 6634 - Mandatory Discretionary Review pursuant to Planning Code Section 317, of Building Permit Application No. 2007.01.08.1172, proposing the demolition of a one-story, single-family dwelling, located in the RH-3 (Residential, House, Three-Family) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve the demolition.

1629 DOLORES STREET - east side between 29th and Day Streets, Lot 015 in Assessor’s Block 6634 - Mandatory Discretionary Review pursuant to Planning Code Section 317, of Building Permit Application No 2007.01.08.1168, proposing the construction of a new three-story-over-garage, three-family dwelling, located in the RH-3 (Residential, House, Three-Family) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.

Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve the project as proposed.

Food Bites: Two Noe Valley Restaurants Make The Top 100

The Chronicle released its Top 100 Restaurants of 2009 today. Whatever you think of Michael Bauer and his choices (Betelnut...?), we were happy to see two Noe Valley restaurants made the list: Incanto and Firefly. Further afield but still walkable picks in the Mission were Beretta, Foreign Cinema, Dosa, Range, and Delfina. Notably missing was the excellent La Ciccia on 30th and Church. Contigo, which opened in February, was too new to be considered for this year.

If you went to the Farmer’s Market this Saturday you may have noticed that nut vendors Malik Ranch had no pistachios for sale. According to the family that runs the stand, they grow their own pistachios and have them processed at a center in Northern California that was unaffected by reported salmonella outbreaks. As a precaution they’ve returned all the pistachios to the processor to be destroyed. A new batch should be available at the market by late April or early May. What to do with pistachios you've already bought? That's up to you.

Noeteca: now opening mid-May. Details as we get them.

[SFGate: Map of Top 100 restaurants in SF]
[NVSF: Noeteca]

Crime Report: Scavengers

In addition to detailing recent armed robberies, burglaries and drug arrests in the Mission in his weekly newsletter, Mission Station Captain Stephen Tacchini addressed the problem of recycling scavengers:

Over the past few weeks I have received complaints from residents in the district regarding noise, littering, and suspicious persons with pickup trucks, carts, and gargage bags related to the removal of recyclable goods from containers. Upon checking with representatives of Sunset Scavenger, I have come to learn this is a significant and costly problem city wide. Who suffers from the loss of this significant material? You--the neighborhood residents.

The dumping of the recycle bins by unauthorized persons is evident by the debris, broken glass, liquid, and papers they leave on the street, creating a public safety hazard and exacerbated litter problem. This results in the Department of Public Works having to come out to clean up the mess, at a cost borne by taxpayers.

Officers from Mission Station will be working towards reducing the types of complaints related to this problem and assistance from the public will be very helpful. In the spirit of community policing I request citizens who observe persons removing recyclable goods from containers on the street, by other than Department of Public Works or Sunset Scavenger personnel to report their observations to SFRecycling.com. This will provide information as to where, when and by whom, using what type of vehicle this activity is being conducted. Your assistance will help us to identify the persons responsible and we can proceed from there to abate the associated problems neighborhoods are experiencing.

It is important to recycle and be as energy and environmentally efficient as possible. It is also important to maintain clean and safe streets while working towards reducing the amount of garbage going into land fills. Reducing the incidence of the theft of recyclable goods will result in fewer noise complaints, cleaner / safer streets, and potentially lower service charges.

Timely, because since a San Francisco Judge "ordered a dozen of the city's most prolific recycling scavengers to stop looting bottles, cans and cardboard from curbside bins" last month they seem to be out in stronger force.

[SFRecycling: Report Form]
[NVSF: Recycling Theft = $469,000]
[SFGate: Judge orders scavengers to stop raiding trash]

NVV: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered.

April 2009

• Front page: Cesar Chavez redesign; local artists turn art into cancer therapy; profile of Pollen Princesses; Book Week starts April 20th with local authors' readings.
• Cost of Living in Noe: slow market, slightly cheaper; rents down a little from last year (same as every month recently). The average single family home price in Noe Valley is still $1.5M.
• Letters: more on the evil priest; unleashed evil dogs; the evil Whole Foods better serve the community.
• Obits: E'nam Fatima Abu-nie, wife of Shufat Market's owner.
  
• Store Trek: Contigo (including a menu from March 22); Brown & Co Noe Valley (local realtor Pete Brannigan).
• Rumors: No one answered all NV history quiz questions correctly; Streetlight Records' landlords wanted $12k a month; restaurant for sale; Glare re-opened; Noeteca opening "by end of April;" rolling brownout fears once again "threatening" firehouse budgets; Elizabeth Street Brewery wasn't expecting the Inquisition.
• Traveling Voice: Rio de Janeiro and the Philippines. Whee.
• Back Page: April Fool's Day headlines (delivered on April 2nd).
  

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Lowe's On Bayshore Is Old News

The Chronicle published a story today that says Lowe's is negotiating to take over the old Goodman's location on Bayshore Blvd that Home Depot abandoned. Why is this news? We covered the same Chronicle story last September. If the negotiations continue at this pace, Colma will be our destination for big-box home improvement right up until all of us need a plot of our down there.

[NVSF: Lowe's plans to come to Bayshore Boulevard]
[NVSF: Further Afield: Bayshore]

24th Street: Now With Less Clutter

Reader Tom sent the above photo from outside Noe Valley's Holey Bagel: "Just saw these on 24th." These racks have been planned City-wide since at least 2007 and some think they'll actually bring in more revenue for the City (but you have to fill the racks to make money). DPW says they "reduce the amount of sidewalk clutter associated with free standing news racks." So why are they bolted down next to free standing racks....?

[DPW: News Rack Program]